Diana Rigg Joins Gatiss Script

With daughter in tow.

Following on from the heavyweight casting of David Warner and Liam Cunningham comes the news that - (deep breath) - Dame Diana Rigg will be appearing in Who next year! Yes, that's it - Emma Peel! In Doctor Who!

Rigg will be appearing in Mark Gatiss's second episode, which began filming this week in Cardiff. She'll be joined in the episode by her real-life daughter, Rachael Stirling, with the pair "playing a mother and daughter with a dark secret."

"The first time Rachie and I will be working together is on an episode of Doctor Who specially written for us by Mark Gatiss," Rigg supposedly said in the press release. "How lucky is that?" (Seriously, can you imagine her talking like that. We're sure she's thrilled, and signed off that line, but we're guessing it wasn't dictated down a phone line by the Dame)

"What joy," Stirling said, somewhat more convincingly. "I am looking forward to the madness of Doctor Who enormously. Mark Gatiss has written a gift of a script and an on-screen relationship between Ma and I that is truly delicious. We have never before worked together because the offers have not been tempting, but when such a funny and original script comes through you know the time has come."

Rigg, 73, is of course, best remembered as Emma Peel in The Avengers, and also became James Bond's ill-fated wife in the best 007 film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (it just is, alright?). Stirling, 35, is probably most famous for her role in the BBC lesbo drama Tipping the Velvet and recently popped up in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman.

The story is set in Yorkshire, but with Bute Town in Rhymney standing in for the county.